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Second shortlist unveiled for WTM International Travel & Tourism Awards 2019

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The second line-up of shortlisted candidates for the International Travel & Tourism Awards (ITTAs), presented by WTM, is revealed today (Thursday 15 August).

More than 90 nominations have been shortlisted for the prestigious awards scheme, now in their second year, as the Awards will celebrate the very best of travel and tourism on a global scale. The ITTAs recognise the outstanding successes of destinations, tourist boards, private sector companies and individuals.


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The winners will be announced to an audience of more than 500 leading industry figures – including Heads of Tourism and Government Ministers – during a prestigious awards ceremony at Magazine London. The brand new event space, which is located just a stone’s throw away from WTM London venue, ExCeL offers a super modern experience with outstanding views of the City.

The ITTAs, presented by WTM and supported by the UNWTO, welcomed a selection of distinguished judges to assess the first tranche of categories, and the contenders have today been unveiled.

Expert judges were drawn from top industry organisations including, WTTC, International Airline Group (IAG), Adobe, Earth Changers, London & Partners, Euromonitor International, public relations body PRCA and the Global Wellness Institute.

The Best Destination category, introduced for 2019, saw an overwhelming response with more than 20 entries, so to enable the judges to compare the entries fairly, this category is now split into Country, City and Region, creating three separate categories.

Nicole Smart, International Travel & Tourism Awards Organiser, said: “We are amazed to see even more shortlisted entries for 2019, compared to the inaugural event last year. I feel this alone shows huge support from the industry.
“We have been delighted with both the volume and quality of the entries, with contenders entering from across the globe – from destinations as diverse as St.Kitts, Jordan, Kerala and Wales – and they demonstrate how tourism is playing a vital role in the economies of different cities and regions.

“Our judges have been greatly impressed by the exceptional quality of entries, and those who are on the shortlist know they have reached a very high standard – they will be among the best in the world.

The second categories to have shortlists unveiled are listed below, with the first wave announced last month (Thursday 25 July).

Best National Tourism Board Campaign

o Azerbaijan: Take Another Look by Azerbaijan Tourism Board
o Incredible India by CNBC
o Revitalising Tobago Tourism by Gravity Global
o The St. Kitts Shout Out by Rooster PR
o Feel Slovenia, Experience Croatia by Slovenian Tourist Board and Croatian National Tourist Board
o #GetNZontheMap by Tourism New Zealand

Best in Adventure

o Rubondo Island Camp, Rubondo Island National Park, Lake Victoria, Tanzania by Asilia Africa
o Alice in 7 Wonderlands by DEC BBDO
o Explore launches short break: Discover Chernobyl by Explore
o Intrepid Travel Women’s Expeditions by Intrepid Travel
o Guyana as a Leading Sustainable Adventure Destination by LOTUS
o Creating The Closest Thing To Flying by Rooster PR
o Alpe-Adria-Trail by Slovenian Tourist Board
o Jordan Trail by The Jordan Trail Association
o Getting off the beaten track in Northern Thailand, by The Tuk Tuk Club

Best Digital Campaign in Tourism

o Join me in Jamaica by Brighter Group, a Finn Partners Company
o TBC Asia 2018 by Cinnamon Hotel Management Ltd
o Destination Abu Dhabi 2018 by Department of Culture and Tourism
o VisitBritain – #GreatBritishSurprise by Digital Visitor
o Wanderers – powered by G Adventures by G Adventures
o Discover Your South Africa by Ginger Juice
o #keyframe19: Plenty of influencers – and no ads, please by Hamburg Marketing GmbH
o iClick Interactive x Palazzo Versace Hotel: Expanding Brand Presence in Digital China by iClick Interactive Asia Limited
o Kerala Blog Express 5 by Kerala Tourism
o Tourism and Events Queensland – #GoForGold with the Queensland Games by MDSG
o Serbia Moments by National Tourism Organisation of Serbia
o MTV in Western Australia by SLC Representation

Best in Luxury

o Santorini Luxury Cruises – The experience of a lifetime! by Caldera Yachting
o The Art of Celebration by CNBC
o Carpe Diem Exclusive Boutique Santorini by PR MEDIACO
o Alpe-Adria-Golf by Slovenian Tourist Board

Best PR Campaign

o Malta Tourism Authority: Valletta 2018 by Brighter Group, a Finn Partners Company
o We’ve Come a Long Way by Jago and Tourism NI
o #CoverTheProgress by KETCHUM INC
o First World Bee Day PR Campaign by Slovenian Tourist Board
o Lost Skills campaign by Travelopia: The Moorings | Sunsail

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Best Digital Influencer Campaign

o #LoveAntiguaBarbuda 2018 by Brighter Group, a Finn Partners Company
o Archipelago Guide For An Accidental Traveller by Citynomadi Ltd
o Abu Dhabi Destination Campaign by Department of Culture and Tourism
o Sailing in the British Virgin Islands with The Moorings and Simon Shaw by Travelopia: The Moorings | Sunsail
o Nassau Paradise Island & Find Us Lost by VERB Interactive

Best Destination Campaign – Country

o Azerbaijan: Take Another Look by Azerbaijan Tourism Board
o Buzz4trips by Buzz4trips
o Incredible !ndia 2.0 by CNN International Commercial
o Revitalising Tobago Tourism by Gravity Global
o #CoverTheProgress by KETCHUM INC
o Destination Campaign | No spoilers. See it live. by Loosers s.r.o.
o Wales Reimagined: Reviving Post Industrial Landscapes with Adventure Tourism by Smorgasbord
o South African Tourism – Discover Your South Africa by The Brighter Group

Best in Responsible Tourism

o Green Motion Environmental Strategy by Green Motion International
o Turizem Bohinj – Creating Sustainable Destination Model by AM+A Marketing & Media Relations

International Travel & Tourism Awards (ITTAs), presented by WTM London, celebrate the success of national, regional and city tourist boards and recognise outstanding private sector companies and individuals. Now in their second year, the awards will showcase the best in class of the global travel & tourism industry at the new venue, Magazine London on Tuesday 5 November 2019. https://awards.wtm.com/

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises seven leading B2B events across four continents, generating more than $7 billion of industry deals. The events are:

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. About 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating about £3.4 billion in travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/.

Next event: Monday 4 – Wednesday 6 November 2019 – London #IdeasArriveHere

Media Contact:

Nicole Smart

E: nicole.smart@reedexpo.co.uk

T: +44 (0)20 8910 7032/ M: +44 (0)79 1955 5510

Julia Newbound – WTM Portfolio PR Executive

E: julia.newbound@reedexpo.co.uk

T: +44 (0)20 8910 7056 / M: +44 (0)7775 036 858

Vote for the finest spa and wellness brands in World Spa Awards 2019

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Spa and wellness industry professionals are invited to vote in World Spa Awards 2019 for the brands they consider the finest in their fields.

With the crucial 16-week voting period entering its final weeks, World Spa Awards has recorded a surge in year-on-year votes, reflecting the awards program’s reputation as the most trusted in the spa and wellness industry.

Voting is taking place across the full spectrum of the global spa and wellness industry, with world-level categories including Best Destination Spa, Best Spa Design, Best Cruise Spa, Best Detox Program, Best Eco Spa and Best Medical Spa.

New categories in 2019 include a technology focus with Best Wellness App. Country and regional-level categories include Best Hotel Spa, Best Resort Spa, Best Wellness Retreat and Best Day Spa. Within the USA, a number of state-level categories have been introduced. View the full list of 2019 finalists here.

Spa industry professionals – senior travel executives, luxury buyers, tour operators and media – along with spa consumers, are eligible to vote for the brands they consider to have performed at an exceptional level over the last 12 months.

Voting closes at midnight on 19 August. The winners will be unveiled at the red carpet 5th annual World Spa Awards Gala Ceremony 2019, taking place on 21 October at Armani Hotel Dubai, UAE. Industry leaders from around the world will attend the spa tourism event of the year. Guests can participate in an exclusive three-day spa and wellness networking program staged around the red-carpet World Spa Awards Gala Ceremony.

Launched in 2015, World Spa Awards aims to drive up standards in spa and wellness tourism and foster global growth by rewarding the leading organizations in their respective fields. A World Spa Award is the industry’s ultimate hallmark of excellence.

World Spa Awards is the sister event to World Travel Awards, currently celebrating its 26th anniversary.

For more information about World Spa Awards and to register to vote, visit worldspaawards.com.

About World Spa Awards

World Spa Awards was developed in reaction to overwhelming demand from the spa industry for a program that was fair and transparent; a program with a mission to serve as the definitive benchmark of excellence, and to help to foster a new era of growth in spa tourism.

Media Contact:

World Spa Awards™ Public Relations

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7925 0000

Email: pr@worldspaawards.com
Web: worldspaawards.com
Social: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Morocco wins Best Stand Design at Arabian Travel Market 2019

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It’s hard to stand out from the crowd when you’re one of 2,800 exhibitors – but the Moroccan National Provincial Tourist Office has been adjudged the Best Stand Design for its authentic representation of a typical Moroccan house at Arabian Travel Market 2019.

Reproducing elements of both a ‘riad’ and a ‘dar’, the Moroccan stand featured a traditional townhouse with pink walls, a courtyard and a fountain, while EXPO 2020 was highly commended for its colorful and engaging stand.

The awards also covered Best Stand for Doing Business; Best Stand within the Travel Tech Show at ATM; Best Stand Feature and Best Stand Personnel.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Arabian Travel Market would not be the huge success it is, without the incredible amount of effort and investment that exhibitors put into creating and manning these exceptional stands at the show. Since its inception, the annual award program has not only recognized exhibitor’s efforts but has also encouraged exciting, fresh and creative designs.”

Competition in the Doing Business category was tougher than ever but the judges – Faye Bartle, Managing Editor, Hot Media Publishing; Leo Fewtrell, Managing Partner, Gulf Reps; Nicholas Hall, CEO and Founder of Digital Tourism Think Tank; and Matt Gibson, CEO, UpThink – were impressed by the Marriott International stand for its scale and impact.

“The layout of the stand was very inviting and efficient, encouraging both social networking as well as private business meetings. It was exceptionally busy throughout and there was a real buzz and sense of anticipation – it was a stimulating environment,” said Faye Bartle, Managing Editor, Hot Media Publishing.

Babylon Booking’s sleek all-black design and creative use of space meant the Iraqi company won Best Stand within the Travel Tech Show at ATM while Sharjah Tourism’s diverse use of attractions – from a powerboat and photo booths to LED floors and tunnels – meant it was the clear winner in the Best Feature category.

Judges selected The Garden Hotel Company’s stand for Best Stand Personnel and picked out the Guangzhou property for its friendliness and staff knowledge.

Fewtrell, who has never missed an ATM over the past 25 years, said: “It never ceases to amaze me how exhibitors continually manage to raise the bar, improving the appearance and practicality of their stands, in both subtle and significant ways.”

The winners of this year’s awards were announced at a photo-call on the exhibition show floor on Tuesday 30th April.

Launched in 2015, the Best Stand Awards were created to recognize the design creativity and business-friendly appeal of exhibiting companies’ physical presence at ATM.

MEDIA CONTACT: NATHALIE VISELE, Director, Shamal Communications, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com , Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Four Lavish Singapore Hotels to Enjoy Breathtaking Views

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Most of dreamt of getting away to destination where they can wake up to mesmerizing views. If you also dream of the same, then here’s a write up for you consisting of most beautiful Singapore hotels with scenic views. Whether you are longing for a luxurious family holiday or a romantic escape, Singapore is truly one of the best and the most visited holiday destination for leisure seekers and nature lovers.

With summer holidays fast approaching, if still haven’t decided where to go and what to do, then here’s a blog post that will let you know about why travelling and booking Singapore hotels with scenic views is simply the best decision. With constant development and modernity, Singapore is often considered as the most vibrant and picture-perfect travel destination in Asia. And it is blessed with quiet a number of lavish hotels that are known for offering best panoramic views of the city’s skyline.

Well, before you hop on the following Singapore hotels with breathtaking views, make sure you book your holidays at best discounted rate by signing up to reliable travel websites namely, Klook and Trip.com. Both the websites are known for customizing best travel deals, hotel booking and flight deals for its customers at pocket-friendly rates.

To maximize your savings on hotel booking, or holiday packages with Klook, make sure you use Klook Promo Code. The code enables you grab best discount offers and deals on-the-go. Now, take a look at the following Singapore hotels that provides breathtaking views of the skyline-
1- Pan Pacific Singapore
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Pan Pacific Singapore is one of widely renowned luxury hotel in this fascinating lion city which has always been the number choice for leisure seekers, family vacationers and business travelers. The best thing about this hotel is that you get to enjoy the most beautiful panoramic views of iconic landmarks namely Marina Bay Sands, Singapore flyer and the Esplande during the day time. While night, you will get enjoy the most ethereal skyline. Not only this, the hotel is a great vantage point to enjoy the 13-minute light show – Wonder Full by the waterfront.

2- Sofitel Sentosa Singapore
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Perfect for relaxing escapes away from hustle-bustle of city life, Sofitel Sentosa Singapore is another alluring staycation destination in this city-state, best known for making your getaways rejuvenating and luxurious with its exceptional hotel amenities and hospitality services. Right from spacious rooms, and suites equipped with modern amenities as well as offering magnificent views to state-of-the-art spa where you get to rejuvenate your mind and soul with relaxing services, from beautifully decorated rooftop bar to infinity pool, Sofitel Sentosa Singapore will make every moment of your stay special.

3- ParkRoyal On Pickering
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Often recognized as a truly beautiful and atmospheric hotel in Singapore, the ParkRoyal on Pickering is yet another most booking scenic staycation destination. Boasting iconic architecture, a wide array of lavishly designed guestrooms and suite and spectacular array of hotel amenities, this eco-friendly hotel feels like an oasis in the heart of the city. Book Orchid Club Deluxe Room for yourself so as enjoy stunning views of the city’s skyline. There are windows all over in the room and the natural light coming into the room simply beautiful to experience. It is really an urban paradise experience with greenery and water features to admire.

4- Shangri-La Hotel
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The Shangri-La Hotel is the hallmark of perfect staycation that hotel is blessed with most beautiful sceneries around. Besides getting breathtakingly beautiful scenic views of the city from its infinity pool and rooftop bar, you will also get to admire the panoramic view of the skyline from its super deluxe guestrooms and suites located on the top-two floors. The spacious and luxurious nature-inspired rooms are equipped with private balconies designed with tropical tones.

So, these are four most booked beautiful hotels in Singapore that are known for providing breathtaking panoramic views of the city’s skyline. Checkout the room availability and exclusive discounts on the above-mentioned hotels by signing up best services of Trip.com. Furthermore, you can enjoy maximum savings and discounts on every hotel booking as well as holiday package booking, just by availing Trip.com Promo Code.

Lufthansa makes dedicated staff look bad: The eTN Hero is Patricia Dzai of Swissport Johannesburg

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Lufthansa

“My personal hero today is Ms. Patricia Dzai. Patricia works for Swissport in Johannesburg, South Africa,” said eTN Publisher Juergen Steinmetz. Swissport is one of the largest aviation ground-handling agencies operating in countries around the world.

Major airlines hire Swissport to manage customer relations and logistics when it comes to baggage handling, including lost or misplaced items.

Lufthansa German Airlines’ ground handler in Johannesburg is Swissport. I recently traveled from Nice to Cape Town via Frankfurt and Johannesburg on Lufthansa German Airlines. I am a United Airlines Star Alliance Gold member and traveled on Lufthansa in Business class. Lufthansa is a member of Star Alliance.

When I arrived in Johannesburg, I heard my name called by Lufthansa’s lost baggage office handled by Swissport.

I was told my tube was still in Frankfurt, and they would put it on the next flight to Johannesburg. I explained it was of utmost importance to have the tube for an important trade show event, the World Travel Market in Cape Town, in the morning.

Patricia Dzai, the Swissport agent in Johannesburg, wanted to make sure this would be possible and sent an urgent message to Lufthansa in Frankfurt. The message said:

 

 

 

 

 

I was pleased to know my tube would go on LH 576 directly to Cape Town almost in time for the start of World Travel Market.

I went on to fly to Cape Town and received a text message in the evening saying my tube would be on the Lufthansa flight to Johannesburg, which was different from what Patricia had requested. Since it was late and the Swissport office in Johannesburg was closed, I was able to find a non-published phone number for Lufthansa baggage service in Frankfurt. Lufthansa, like most airlines, is hiding phone numbers to encourage passengers to communicate only by email.

I was told by Lufthansa Baggage Service in Frankfurt no such message to forward my tube to Cape Town was ever received by Swissport Johannesburg. The agent went on to say that passengers are often not told the truth by Swissport agents.

The Lufthansa agent in Frankfurt explained that his job was not to help me, since this was only handled in Johannesburg. I argued my tube is in Frankfurt and not Johannesburg, and the handling agent for Swissport in Johannesburg was closed.

The agent then said he was now doing a one-time exception for me and would reroute my tube on LH576 directly to Cape Town. He said there were 5 hours to get this done, still plenty of time according to him.

The next day I received another message telling me again the tube was on its way to Johannesburg instead of Cape Town.

I called Swissport in Johannesburg, and the news not could have been worse. They told me, apologizing, that my tube was still in Frankfurt for a second day, and they did not know why.

I again called the baggage-handling office in Frankfurt and was again told it’s all Swissport’s mistake for not telling them where to send it.

This time I was angry and called Swissport Johannesburg again. I asked Patricia why she was lying about this. I told her she never sent this request to Frankfurt, according to Lufthansa.

Ten minutes later, I received an email with a time-stamped screenshot from Patricia Dzai showing me exactly what was requested by her in the first place.

Patricia actually had gone out of her way originally to make sure I would be united with my tube on time and in Cape Town. I felt bad thinking she didn’t care and didn’t do anything, when in fact she did.

It shows that big companies like Lufthansa have a serious customer service issue. They hide behind a huge system and are trained to say it’s not their job and simply blame others for company shortcomings.

There was no way I could talk to anyone at Lufthansa about this, and my urgent email to them on the day I was trying to get the tube re-routed was just responded to 2 weeks after I was already back home in Hawaii. Lufthansa offered a 200 euro compensation.

No explanation was given and no apology for accusing Patricia Dzai and Swissport for not doing their job.

I finally received my tube on the last day after the trade show and took it back to the US unopened. When I changed planes in Frankfurt, I asked the agent working in the Senator Lounge to speak to a supervisor in baggage handling about this case and compensation. She told me I have to send an email, which I had already done days ago.

She gave me some chocolate and said they get customers’ complaints all the time and do their best to help and respond, but the back-up system by the airline is not there.

It’s all about a giant non-caring anonymous machine.

I extend my apologies to Patricia Dzai from Swissport, as I now understand she was also a victim of shortcomings created by Lufthansa German Airlines.

Patricia Dzai is the eTN Hero for today.

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